Body brush with rotatable head whose direction of rotation is automatically reversed

ABSTRACT

A body brush includes a housing, a head rotatably coupled to the housing, the head being structured to hold one of a number of attachment members, a motor provided in the housing, the head being coupled to the motor for rotating the head relative to the housing in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction, and a processing apparatus coupled to the motor for controlling operation of the motor, the processing apparatus being structured and configured to control the motor in a manner that causes rotation of the head to be automatically switched between the first direction and the second direction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/330,575, filed Apr. 13, 2022 entitled, Body Brush With Rotatable Head Whose Direction Of Rotation Is Automatically Reversed, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed concept relates generally to powered body brushes that may be used by individuals in the shower, and, in particular, powered body brush that has a rotatable head wherein the direction of rotation is automatically reversed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Body brushes for use in the shower to clean and exfoliate the skin of user are known. Such body brushes include electrically powered, motor driven brushes in which the brush head is movable, for example rotationally. The brush heads (and bristles thereof) of such powered brushes, however, are susceptible to flattening or other uneven wear due to continued operation in a single direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These needs, and others, are met by a body brush that includes a housing, a head rotatably coupled to the housing, the head being structured to hold one of a number of attachment members, a motor provided in the housing, the head being coupled to the motor for rotating the head relative to the housing in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction, and a processing apparatus coupled to the motor for controlling operation of the motor, the processing apparatus being structured and configured to control the motor in a manner that causes rotation of the head to be automatically switched between the first direction and the second direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a body brush according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a body brush according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An improved apparatus that is referred to herein as a body brush 4 is provided. The body brush 4 is depicted generally in FIG. 1 and is depicted schematically in FIG. 2 . As can be understood, the body brush 4 includes a housing 6 upon which is situated a processor 8 with which are connected numerous other devices. These other devices include an electronic storage 14, a USB cable connector 18 to which is connectable a USB cable, an on/off button 10, and a motor 20 that is operable to rotate a head 12 to which various brushes 16 and other devices that are considered to be a part of the body brush 4 are removably connectable. The body brush 4 further includes a battery 22 that is internal to the housing 6 and which is usable in a fashion controlled by the processor 8 to operate the motor 20 in a number of fashions such as are described elsewhere herein.

The aforementioned storage 14 has stored therein one or more software programs that are executable on the processor 8 and that control operation of the body brush 4 in such a fashion that it controls operation of the head 12 and the brush 16 or other device that is mounted to the head 12. In one embodiment, the program that is employed to control operation of the head 12 retains the rotational direction of operation of the head 12 and thus retains the direction of rotation of the brush 16, during the entire time that the body brush 4 remains in an “on” state after actuation of the on/off button 10. However, once the on/off button 10 is actuated to switch the body brush 4 to an “off” state, and after which the on/off button 10 is again actuated to switch the body brush 4 back to the “on” state, the program changes operation of the motor to rotate the head 12 in an opposite direction from that of the prior operation.

For instance, and from the perspective of FIG. 1 , if the on/off button 10 is actuated, the head 12 and the brush 16 situated thereon rotate in, for instance, the clockwise direction during the entire time that the body brush 4 remains in an “on” state. This would be until the on/off button 10 is re-actuated in order to switch the body brush 4 to an “off” state. When the on/off button is re-actuated, the processor 8 would cause the motor 20 to operate in a fashion that causes the head 12 and the brush 16 to rotate in an opposite direction, e.g., in the counter-clockwise direction. This would continue during the entire time that the body brush 4 remains in the “on” state and until the on/off button 10 is again re-actuated in order to switch the body brush 4 to the “off” state. When the on/off button 10 is further re-actuated in order to switch the body brush 4 again to the “on” state, the processor 8 will cause the motor to cause rotation of the head 12 and the brush 16 to again be in the clockwise direction until the body brush 4 is yet again return to the “off” state.

The automatic and regular reversal of the rotation of the head 12 and the brush 16 is desirable because it avoids the brush 16 from flattening out due to continued operation. For instance, if the head 12 and brush 16 were only rotated in a single direction at all times, it is understood that protruding portions the brush 16 such as bristles and the like would tend to collapse. However, by automatically reversing the rotational direction of the head 12 and thus the brush 16 each time the body brush 4 is switched between its “off” state and its “on” state, such reversal of the rotation of the brush 16 results in dramatically increasing the usable life of the brush 16 because unintended collapsing of the brush 16 is advantageously avoided.

It is understood, however, that other timing or occurring can be employed, i.e., other than the entire duration between being switched from the “off” state to the “on” state and back to the “off” state, by way of example. For instance, the program(s) can instead automatically reverse the rotational direction of the head 12 and the brush 16 after a predetermined period of time of operation. For instance, the brush 16 might be rotated in one direction, e.g., clockwise, for a fixed period of time, at which point the program causes the motor to reverse rotation of the brush 16 to be rotated in an opposite direction, e.g., counter-clockwise for the same period of time. After this, the program(s) can again cause the motor 20 to again reverse rotation of the brush to be again rotated in an opposite direction, e.g., clockwise for the same period time, and so forth. Such operations can be in the nature of fixed periods of time where, for instance, the brush 16 can be caused to rotate in one direction for, say, one minute, after which it is rotated in the opposite direction for another one minute, after which the brush is again rotated in the one direction for another one minute, and so forth while the body brush 4 remains in an “on” state. The fixed times could be periods greater than one minute or less than one, they could be a fixed period of time, and the period of time potentially could be adjusted by the user. Moreover, the time potentially could be varied depending upon certain things. For instance, the frictional loading of the brush 16 upon the person using the body brush 4 might be determined as a function of time by measuring the torque resistance to the rotation of the head 12 and/or the compression loading on the head 12 using a suitable torque sensor 24 (converts mechanical torque to an electrical signal). Moreover, it might be determined that such determined frictional loading of the brush 16 is indicative of the extent to which it would ultimately be compressed into a flat condition. As such, the brush 16 might be operated in a reverse direction for an appropriate period of time until an appropriate level of torque resistance is measured in the head 12, rather than basing change in rotation solely on a fixed period of time. Other variations will be apparent.

In the exemplary embodiment, the body brush 4 has an antimicrobial body brush, an antimicrobial loofah, a massage head, as well as a pedicure brush, each of which operate as the brush 16 and which are individually attachable to the head 12. The body brush 4 further includes a shower hook 26 and a handle 28, the handle 28 being extremely lengthy and thus advantageous.

As mentioned, each time the body brush 4 is powered on it changes direction from left to right, i.e., between counter-clockwise and clockwise. So, when first turned on for example the unit goes to the right, and when turned back on it will start in the opposite direction. This helps to prevent the brush head bristles from getting flattened, and the same for the loofah. Regarding the massage head and the pedicure brush, which may or may not be antimicrobial, reversal of operations advantageously evens the wear that is experienced by the head or brush and thus increases its useful life period.

It is also noted that the battery 22 is of a rechargeable nature that is rechargeable using the aforementioned USB cable or other ones. It is noted that as most of the other brushes in the market are battery operated but fail to provide a rechargeable feature.

It is noted that the motor 20 in the exemplary embodiment is configured to provide approximately twice the torque and horsepower than other motors of other brush devices. The much higher torque results in the motor 20 operating at a relatively quieter fashion with less noise than other motors that have less torque. Moreover, by having the additional antimicrobial brushes 16 and being able to be stored in the shower as a result, this is highly advantageous.

The head 12 can technically be described as oscillating and as having a brush 16 removably mounted thereon that rotates in one direction and then rotates in an opposite direction. Operation thereof potentially could be in terms of, for instance, rotating at least one full rotation in one direction followed by at least one full rotation in the other direction, which advantageously distinguishes the body brush 4 from the sonic or oscillating motions of other devices.

The aforementioned reversing advantageously does two things. The bristles advantageously avoid being eventually bent to a given curvature because the brush 16 is avoided from constantly spinning in a single fixed direction. This will advantageously keep the bristles sticking out straight rather than flattening them and turning one angle.

Among other advantages provided, the body brush 4 can be referred to as a 4-in-1 USB rechargeable shower body brush with four treatment heads, and built-in antimicrobial protection. The body brush 4 advantageously turns usual shower routine into an at-home spa-like cleansing experience. With improved exfoliation, it is noted that soap foaming and active ingredients benefits are boosted, along with sensational massaging and ultimate cleansing, thanks to four different treatment heads. This advantageously helps promote healthier, younger looking skin and instantly soothes tired achy muscles.

Also, with the strongest spinning action in the industry, the body brush 4 is also the first such device to be fully USB rechargeable. The body brush 4 is also the first such shower tool to come with antimicrobial protection built into its body brush bristles and loofah, and also may be provided among the other of the brushes 16. The body brush 4 is the most powerful unit available for in-shower cleansing.

The body brush 4 and its brushes 16 are useful for all skin types and includes a multi-function body brush 4 including four treatment heads 16 that include a body brush, a loofah, a 7-point massage head, and a pumice stone and, as noted, also included is the USB charging cable.

With antimicrobial protection for cleansing brush bristles on which bacteria will not grow, this is especially important in such a moist environment as a shower and bathroom. Also with antimicrobial protection, combined with the powerful motor of the body brush 4, this makes for a spa-like showering experience with awesome massaging benefits and outstanding exfoliation. The aforementioned pumice stone attachment serves as one of the brushes 16 and helps to get rid of dead skin cells and to smooth the feet or other body portions, which the long handle of body brush 4 makes easy to reach. The aforementioned 7-point massage head advantageously is usable to knead a person's muscles after a long day.

Regarding battery powered adjustable intensity, it is noted that particular attention has been brought to the engineering of the spinning motor of the body brush 4. Its power is adjustable thanks to a speed adjustment with a high/low intensity switch for increased comfort and efficiency. As noted, the motion of the head by the motor will automatically change every time the unit is powered on, i.e., reversing rotation of the brush 16 to be in the opposite direction than before. This will keep the brush 16 and loofah 16 full and not bent/twisted to one side.

The body brush 4 advantageously features a long ergonomic handle 28 to make reaching a person's back and lower parts of the legs and feet easier. Furthermore, by providing rechargeable functionality to the battery 22, total cord-free convenience is advantageously provided which permits a person to avoid any struggle with any restrictions of being tethered to a wall outlet during operation of the body brush 4.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of disclosed concept which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A body brush, comprising: a housing; a head rotatably coupled to the housing, the head being structured to hold one of a number of attachment members; a motor provided in the housing, the head being coupled to the motor for rotating the head relative to the housing in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction; a processing apparatus coupled to the motor for controlling operation of the motor, the processing apparatus being structured and configured to control the motor in a manner that causes rotation of the head to be automatically switched between the first direction and the second direction.
 2. The body brush according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is structured and configured to: (i) detect that the body brush has been turned on and in response thereto cause rotation of the head in the first direction, and (ii) while the head is caused to be rotated in the first direction, detect that the body brush has been turned off and then on again and in response thereto cause rotation of the head in the second direction.
 3. The body brush according to claim 1, wherein during operation of the body brush in an on condition, the processing apparatus is structured and configured to: (i) cause rotation of the head in the first direction for a first period of time, (ii) following expiration of the first period of time cause rotation of the head in the second direction for a second period of time, and (iii) following expiration of the second period of time cause rotation of the head in the first direction for the first period of time.
 4. The body brush according to claim 3, wherein the first period of time is equal to the second period of time.
 5. The body brush according to claim 3, wherein each of the first period of and the second period of time is a fixed value.
 6. The body brush according to claim 3, wherein each of the first period of and the second period of time is a adjustable by a user of the body brush.
 7. The body brush according to claim 1, further comprising a torque sensor provided within the housing, wherein the torque sensor is structured and configured to measure a torque resistance to rotation of the head, and wherein the processing apparatus is structured and configured to automatically switch between the first direction and the second direction responsive to a level of the torque resistance as measured by the torque sensor exceeding a threshold.
 8. The body brush according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is structured and configured to automatically and repeatedly switch from the first direction to the second direction after one full rotation of the head in the first direction and from the second direction to the first direction after one full rotation of the head in the second direction.
 9. The body brush according to claim 1, further comprising the one of the number of attachment members, wherein the one of the number of attachment members has an antimicrobial component.
 10. The body brush according to claim 9, wherein the one of the number of attachment members is a brush head having antimicrobial bristles.
 11. The body brush according to claim 1, further comprising the number of attachment members, wherein the number of attachment members is a plurality of attachment members including a body brush, a loofah, a massage head, a pedicure brush and a pumice stone.
 12. The body brush according to claim 1, further comprising a reachable battery coupled to the motor.
 13. The body brush according to claim 1, wherein a power of the motor for rotating the head is adjustable by a user of the body brush. 